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Anthology of Interest II
| image = | image_size = | episode = 50 | season = 3 | airdate = January 6 2002 | runtime = 30 minutes | director = Bret Haaland | guests = | writer = I, Meatbag:Lewis Morton Raiders of the Lost Arcade: David X. Cohen Wizzin': Jason Corbett and Scott Kirby | storyboards = | subtitle = Hey TiVo, Suggest This! | cartoon = | preceded_by = A Pharaoh To Remember | followed_by = Roswell That Ends Well }} Story Claiming he's gotten the bugs fixed, Professor Farnsworth hauls out his What-if Machine again, and the Planet Express crew takes a look at three alternate realities. I, Meatbag Bender asks what would happen if he were human. Professor Farnsworth announces that he has invented a process of reverse fossilization, which can turn metal robots into organic life-forms. He uses his reverse fossilization machine on Bender, who is successfully transformed into a human. After a short period of adaptation, Bender's self-control is overwhelmed by his new senses of taste, touch and emotional responses, and goes on a sensory input binge. A week later, at the Academy of Science Nobel Prize judging, the Professor presents Bender who has become a thousand-pound blob. The committee initially condemns the Professor, but Bender begs them to consider his new lifestyle. The open-minded scientists spend the night in a state of wild hedonism. Just before dawn, the committee awards Bender his own Nobel Prize. They discover that he died shortly after the party started; his excited "Woooo" was just the sound of air escaping the folds of his fat. Raiders of the Lost Arcade Fry wants to see a world that is more like a video game because that is the only thing he is good at. As the simulation starts, President of Earth, Richard Nixon's head, is preparing to sign a treaty with Ambassador Kong of planet Nintenduu 64. Ambassador Kong attacks Nixon, and a state of war erupts. Due to his extensive knowledge of video games, Fry is brought to the military headquarters and introduced to General Colin Pac-Man. Before Fry can impart his wisdom to the military, the Nintendians launch an attack on Washington, D.C., and they are forced into the escape tunnels that resemble a Pac-Man maze. They emerge outside the Planet Express building, where the space invaders, led by Lrrr, are blasting New New York. Fry situates himself at the controls of a rolling AAA platform and begins destroying the alien ships. Unfortunately for Earth, Fry is unable to destroy the last ship, which lands, conquering Earth. After Fry enters "ASS" as his initials for his high score, the invaders emerge. They demand millions of dollars in quarters, but the Earthicans refuse, as they need the quarters to do their laundry. A compromise is reached, with the Nintendians throwing their laundry in with Earth's. Wizzin' Leela wants to see her true home. When the Professor pulls the lever on the What-if Machine, he whacks her in the head, and she falls to the floor unconscious. She wakes up at the helm of the Planet Express ship, which is caught in a tornado. It crash lands in a technicolor wonderland, crushing the Man-Witch of the West, Scruffy. The Cute Witch of the North, Amy, tells her that she should seek out the Professor, who lives in the Emerald Laboratory down Martin Luther King Boulevard, which is constructed from yellow brick. While traveling, she meets a scarecrow, Fry, a mechanical man, Bender, and "the other guy" , Zoidberg. The Wicked Witch, Mom, sends her winged monkeys, Walt, Larry, and Ignar, to kidnap Leela and her friends. The Wicked Witch always wanted a daughter, and offers to take Leela in. Leela accepts, and as part of a celebration, Bender uncorks a bottle of champagne. Under tremendous pressure, the champagne shoots out of the bottle and lands on the Wicked Witch, causing her to melt. Falling back to the original plan, the crew make their way to the Emerald Laboratory. There they meet the great and forgetful Professor. The Professor tells Leela that she can go home by clicking her ruby boots together and wishing to go home. She says: "There's no place like... I wanna be a witch!". She dons witch clothes and turns the Professor, the scarecrow, and the robot into frogs. Her reign of terror is cut short by Zoidberg, who has encountered a problem with the Emerald Laboratory's upstairs toilet, and accidentally splashes water on her. As she melts in the dream world, she wakes up back in the Planet Express building, the professor wanting to harvest Leela's organs. Trivia *'I, Meatbag' takes its title from Isaac Asimov's novel I, Robot, as did a previous episode, 'I, Roommate'. *'Raiders of the Lost Arcade' takes its title from the first Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark. *The title of Leela's segment is likely a reference to the Broadway musical and 1978 movie The Wiz, which was also a reinterpretation of L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. *Fry's scenario features a number of video game parodies and in-jokes: **The intro scene is a reference to Asteroids. **The attackers' home planet of Nintendu 64 is a parody of the Nintendo 64 games console. **Donkey Kong's exit from the treaty signing is a reference to the original game, Donkey Kong. **General Colin Pac-man is a reference to both Colin Powell and Pac-man, including his death animation. **The 'escape tunnels' sequence is a parody of Pac-man, including the sound effects and the various items Zoidberg ingests and subsequently coughs up. **The 'Blue key required' message is likely a reference to Castle Wolfenstein **The Nintendians attack sequence is a parody of Space Invaders, including the ship design and movement, and Fry's strategy of firing through his own shelter. **"All Your Base Are Belong to Us" is a much parodied phrase from the game Zero Wing. *The music playing whilst Fry fights the Nintendians is Tom Sawyer by Rush. On the audio commentary, the creators mention that one of the reasons this song was chosen was for the line 'And the space he invades he gets high on you', as the song plays during the Space Invaders-like battle. *Bender's tale of interest ends in the same way as in Anthology of Interest I. His death is even followed by a character uttering the same line, 'Goodnight, sweet prince'. *It's interesting to note that Leela's tale of interest is not, in fact, necessarily what would happen if she found her true home. Leela is knocked unconscious and we as the audience see her dream, not what the What If? machine shows. Alienese The signs in Alienese read, "Tale of Interest" and "Toxic Ink". Debut Appearances *Katrina *General Colin Pac-Man *Q*Bert *Xanthor See Also *Anthology Of Interest I Category:Season Three Category:Articles in need of a re-write